


Gentle, We Beat Against the Shore (Careful Not to Break)

by PhoenixofFire177



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Multi, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, endgame rewrite, medieval politics are very fun especially after years of warfare, neither are their parents tbh, these kids aren't alright, welcome to politics after wars end, xander is the best king and thats the tea, you can't just end a war and not expect there to be issues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-06
Updated: 2018-09-05
Packaged: 2019-07-07 13:27:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15909162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhoenixofFire177/pseuds/PhoenixofFire177
Summary: As time passes, war grows tiresome. People join with the hopes of being heroes and bringing home the glory, but they leave broken and battered.This goes for everyone, rich, poor, royal, common. The Nohrian royal siblings and their rag-tag army are no strangers to this concept.There's no telling what they'll do next.





	Gentle, We Beat Against the Shore (Careful Not to Break)

**Author's Note:**

> Xander, Leo, Camilla, Elise, and Corrin watch the sun rise over Nohr.

The sun rose over the ramparts of an empty field. Empty, perhaps, except for the wreckage that could only ever suggest that an army had marched through this area. Broken lances stuck out of the earth and if you squinted long enough, glimmering pieces of armour shone in the pale morning light. It was clear that this land had been horribly torn apart and pulled back together again. However, none of that mattered now, nor would it ever again. The lost souls that were now damned to walk these pock-marked hills would never again greet freshly fallen soldiers, whose pulsing wounds would seep into grounds and salt the earth and water the stones of vengeance, prompting yet another battle in a cycle of pure madness. 

No, instead the children of Nohr and the children of Hoshido met here to shake hands and shed tears over the headless bloodshed that had threatened to bring the land to its knees. And if the groups parted ways suddenly glad to be alive and well and whole, well, that was no one’s business but their own. 

Sakura and Hinoka took their leave first, escorted by heavily defeated retainers and the overwhelming sense of loss that comes from missing two members of your party. Their silhouettes cast long shadows over the field, as if their very souls caressed the bodies that lay beneath the freshly shifted soil. The wind whispered in the trees as the women passed, caressing their faces and thanking them for bringing these soldiers peace. Stone faces watched them go, eyes fixed on the horizon, on the future this tentative peace must bring. Too much relied on this treaty for anything else to be a remote possibility. 

As the sun climbed higher and higher, lifted to its pedestal by the gods, its gentle hands reached the faces of Nohr’s fiercest warriors and royal family. The ragged group of siblings stood in a protective semi-circle around their oldest brother, none speaking but all in grim understanding of the events to come. The war was over, in the petty way a cat takes pity on its prey to allow it time to breathe, because an anxious meal is tough to swallow. It made them all tense; the anxiety was visible from the set of Xander’s jaw to the subtle quiver of Elise’s voice when she spoke of tomorrow. These small tells were a weakness, and not one tolerable in court. As the days until Xander’s coronation crawled by, their small family struggled to survive under the pressure of peace-time politics. Turns out fighting an endless tide of war for years on end really does take its toll on the body. 

Xander- gripping both Leo and Camilla’s hands tightly as though if he let go they’d be torn away from him and he’d be powerless to stop it- was the first to turn away from the border and face their kingdom. His eyes were fixed on the looming formation of Castle Krakenburg in the distance, his expression illegible. Out of all of his precious siblings, Xander knew that the responsibility lay directly on his shoulders. He was, ready or not, the future of Nohr and would ultimately set the tone for governing after this point. His reign would shake the world to its core and force change down the throats of those that dared to oppose it. As the new king of Nohr, he would have to undo centuries of hate and conflict in the sixty or so years he had left in him. 

These thoughts plagued him day and night, tormenting every hour of his life. They attacked him even now, causing a stone of anxiety to sink deep within his chest and preventing him from noticing when Camilla finally turned to join him, squeezing his hand in what she hoped conveyed her support. His hand squeezed back, on impulse, before realising what she meant. A ghost of a smile graced his lips and he dipped his head slightly, almost imperceptible to the untrained eye, to his younger sister. By this time, Leo had turned as well and Elise with him. They too gazed over this overwhelming view of the kingdom that now lay in their beloved brother’s hands and offered gentle comfort to their family’s impromptu figurehead. 

Corrin had yet to join them; his eyes still scanned the border, as if unable to remove the instincts of a seasoned commander from his mind. Nothing seemed out of order, yet the young prince felt constant alarm bells ringing in his skull, demanding his attention and determined to prove something was amiss. Perhaps an enemy party pursued them just within the copse of trees; maybe marauders lay in wait over the foothills. Everywhere he looked was a potential threat, something he’d long since come to associate with everyday life. To his left, Gunther and Felicia exchanged fearful looks. Their lord had yet to relax; the war was won. It worried Felicia to see usually happy-go-lucky Corrin pensive and battle-hardened. She stepped forward and tapped his shoulder, begging him to relax and join his family with her eyes alone. He hesitated for a moment but is ultimately won over the moment he sees Gunther take up the watch. 

He joined Camilla at Xander’s side just in time for his brother to finally speak.

“I am thankful to have all of you at my side for this next step. Gods know that this war would have been so much more destructive if we hadn’t been together.” 

Leo nodded before chiming in.

“Whatever comes next, Xander, know that we face it as a family. We are behind you, for better or worse.”


End file.
